Signaling device



same 23; 1924*.

A. L. MAHONY ET AL 5 IGNALING DEVICE Filed Aug. 15

1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 1924. v ma ma A. L. MAHONY ET AL Sept. 23

S IGNALING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 15, 1923 yam,

Sept 23, mm. wwww A. L. MAHONY ET AL SIGNALING DEVI CE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5Filed Aug. 15, 1923 ALOYSIUS L. MAHONY, or BOSTON, AND PETER .1.mn'srnon, or MEDFO'RJ),

' MASSACHUSETTS.

Patented ept. 23, 1924.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

Application filed August 15, 1923. Serial No. 657,496.

To all whom it may concern. Figure 12 is a view partly in section and Beit known that we, ALoYs1Us MA- partly in elevation, showing amodification. HONY and PETER J. LINSTROM, citizens of The same referencecharacters indicate the United States, residing at Boston and the sameparts in all of the figures.- Medford, in the counties of Sufiolk and 12represents a casing adapted to contain Middlesex, respectively, andState of Masan electric lamp 13, and fixed to a tubular sachusetts, haveinvented new and useful shaft 14, adapted to receive the socket ofImprovements in Signaling Devices, of the lamp, as shown by Figure 1.The Gaswhich the following is a specification. mg is elongated in adirection substantially This invention relates chiefly to signalat rlghtangles with the axis of the shaft, ing devices for motor vehicles,adapted to and has an enlarged end which may be notify street traflic ofan intended turn to PPOVlded h 1611s and reduced; right or left, as wellas of a continuation pr ferably pointed, opposite end, the form of aforward movement, without turning, of the casing being such that itconstitutes 15 One object of the invention is to proa pointer. Theopposite sides of the easvide a signaling device which may be suc- 111ghave preferably triangular openings 16, cessfully used in an elevatedand conspicadapted to transmit light from the lamp. uous position on thebody of a closed motor The shaft 14 is journaled 1n bearings 17 car, andhi her than the roof, so that the and 18, formed in the top and bottomof actlng portlon of the device may be seen .a PlSton Chamber 19. Saidchamber is from the front, rear, and both sides of the Substantiallysemiclroular, as shown by vehicle. F igure 9, and is provided in thisinstance Another object is to provide practical, Wl h means whereby itmay be attached durable, and relatively inexpensive 'means to he upperportion of the closed body 20 for operating an elevated signal ona motorof a m or C r, the hack of the chamber car, from a point in convenient rach of being preferably flat and provided with ears the driver. 1, 21,attachable as by screws 22 to a vertical Other objects will hereinafterap ear. side portion of the body. The arrange Of the accompanyingdrawings orming ment is such that when the piston chamber a part of thisspecification,-- is in the predetermined position on the Figure 1 showspartly in section and body 20, the axis of theshaft 14 is substanpartlyin elevation, the portion of a signaltially vertical,. and the axis ofthe lamp ing device embodying the invention, which casing substantiallyhorizontal. The loca- 1 includes the direction-indicator and its tion ofthepiston chamber shown by Figure support. v

Figure 2 shows partly in section and vice which includes the controlling-va Ve- Figures 3* and 4 are top plan views of the portion shown byFlgure 1.

5 is such' that the lamp casing is close to and higher than the frontend of the body, and is at one corner of the latter, so that the casingmay be clearly seen from the front, the rear, and both sides of thevehicle.

The lamp casing shaft 14 is provided within the chamber 19 with a wingpiston Figure 5 is a perspective view, showing 23, movable,'by fluidpressure in the chama portion of a motor car having a signaling her, toeither of the ositions indicated by device embodying the invention, theair full and dotted lines in Figure 9, the shaft conduits and the vaccumconduit hereinand the lamp casing being moved by the res 10 and 11 areperspective-views,

piston to corresponding positions, as indicated by full and dotted linesby Figures "end facing forward. When the piston is in the right'handdotted line position, the lamp c'asmg is positioned as shown by fulllines-by Figure 4:, its major axis extending crosswise of the body andthe casing pointmember 25, fixed as by screws 26, to a holder 27,attached to the dash; and a movable member 28, adapted to turn on thefixed member, and maintained in close sliding contact therewith, by aspring 29, supported by a stem 30, which is fixed to the movable memberand extends through a central orifice 31, in the fixed member, thespring bearing on a fixed abutment 32, and on a nut 33, carried by thestem, as shown by Figure 2.

A suction conduit 34'extends from the intake manifold 35 of the engineto and through the fixed valve member 25. suction conduit is in constantopen connection with the valve and with the manifold,

so that suction is constantly exerted in all parts of the conduit. Airconduits 36, 37 and 38 passing through the fixed valve member, extendtherefrom through the wall and to the cavityof the piston chamber 19.

The exposed portions of the several conduits are preferably lengths ofcopper or brass tubing, the end portions being holes formed in the valveand piston casings. The movable valve member 28 has a channel adapted toselectively connect the air conduits 36, 37 and 38 with the suctionconduit 34, and is provided with air ports 30 and 40, which selectivelyopen difl'erent air conduits to the atmosphere, all as hereinafterexplained.

The said channel is preferably formed as shown by Figure 11,and-includessegmental portions 41 and 42, an annular portion 43,

and portions 44 connecting the segmental portions with the annularportion.

The movable valve member 28 is provided with a handle 45, having aspring-pressed detent 46, adapted to engage either of a series ofindentations 47 in the holder27, and retain the handle and the movablemember in different positions.

The operation is illustrated by Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9.

' When the handle 45 is moved to the position shown by Figure 6, themovable valve member 28 connects the'air conduit 37 with the suctionconduit 34, through the described channel portions, the conduits 36 and.38 being closed. Air is .now simultaneously drawn from the pistonchamber at one side Said tion conduit 34, the conduit 36 being closedand the conduit 37 opened to the atmosphere through the air port 40. Airis now simultaneously drawn from the piston chamber ,at one side of thepiston through the exhaust conduit and into the chamber at the oppositeside of the piston through the air conduit 38, until the piston reachesthe right hand dotted line position (Figure 9), the lamp casing beingnow in the full line position (Figure 4) When the handle is moved to theright as shown by Figure 8, the movable member connects the air conduit36 with the suction conduit 34, the conduit 38 being closedand theconduit 37 opened to the atmosphere through the air port 39." -Air isnow simultaneously drawn from the piston chamber at one side of thepiston through the exhaust conduit, and into the chamber at the oppositeside of the piston through the air conduit 36, until the piston reachesthe left hand dotted line position (Figure 9), the lamp casing being nowin the dotted line position (Figure 4). 7

By pneumatically operating a directionindicating lamp casing,- thecomplication and liability to derangement of means including flexiblecables heretofore employed for a similarpurpose are avoided, and thelamp casing is located in a position which is lfiigher and moreconspicuous than heretoore.

Figure 12 shows a modified form of means for turning the lamp casing inwhich the tubular shaft 12 of the lamp casing is journaled in bearings17 and 18 in a piston chamber formed as a cylinder 50,. A piston 51 isadapted to reciprocate in the cylinder and has a rack 52 meshing with agear 53 on the shaft. Air conduits 36 and 38 corresponding to theconduits 36 and 38, enter opposite ends of the piston. An air conduit 37corresponding to the conduit 37 has branches 37 b entering the cylinderbetween the ends thereof, and arranged to be closed by the' pistonwhenthe lamp casing reaches a neutral position. The general operation" is asalready described.

The lighting circuit which includes the lamp 13, and is showndiagrammatically by Figure 8, includes a switch, operated automaticallyto-extinguish the lamp when the casing is in its neutral or longitudinalposition, the lamp being lighted only when the casing points crosswise.The switch as shown by dotted lines in Figures 6, 7 and 8, includesafixed member 54 having two spaced apart contacts 55 and a movablemember 56 having a single contact 57, and

engaged with the-movable valve member.

lamp' casing may be moved to, and left in the different positionsdescribed, themotor furnishing the motive power, so that the muscularforce of the, operator is exerted only to move the movable valve member.

Although the motor here shown is pneumatic, the invention is notnecessarily limited to a motor of this type as implied in certain of thefollowing claims.

The employmentiof a motor operated by force other than the muscularforce of a driver, is believed to be new in a signaling device of thetype described, and enables the lamp casing tobe located andsuccessfully operated in aposition elevated above the roof of a closedvehicle body. The intake manifold is selected as the most convenientform of air-exhausting means. It is obvious, however, that other meansmay be employed for exhausting air through the suction conduit.

We claim: r

1. A signaling device comprising a dirigible direction-indicating lampcasing, a shaft supporting the same and arrang substantially at rightangles with the major,

axis of the lamp casing, a pneumatic motor including a piston chamberprovided with bearings for said shaft and with means for attachment to avehicle body, in position to maintain said shaft substantially.vertical, a

manually operable controlling. valve, a plu-.

rality of an conduits connecting different ort1ons of the fpistonchamber with diferent portions 0 the controlling valve, airexhaustingmeans carried by the vehicle, and a suction conduit connecting saidvalve with said air-exhausting means and in constant open communicationwith the valve and with the air-exhausting means, said valve beingprovided with means for selectively connecting either of the airconduits with the suction conduit and with the atmosphere.

2. A signaling device comprising a dirigi- V ble direction-indicatinglamp casing, a shaft supporting the same and arranged substantially atright angles with the major axis of the lamp casing, a pneumatic motorincluding a piston chamber provided with bearings for said shaft andwith means for attachment to a vehicle body, in position to maintainsaid shaft substantially vertical, a manually operable controllingvalve, a plurality of air conduits connecting diflere'nt portions of thepiston chamber with different portions of the controlling valve,airexhausting means carried by the vehicle, and a suction conduitconnecting said valve with said air-exhausting means, and in constantopen communication with the valve and with the air-exhausting means,said valve being provided with means for selectively connecting eitherof the air conduits with the suction conduit and with the atmos here,and

with means adapted for selective y opening diflerent air conduits to theatmosphere.

3. A signaling device comprising a diri gible direction-indicating lampcasing, a shaft supporting the same, and arranged substantially at rightangles with the major axis of the lamp casing, a motor including a wingpiston on said shaft, a substantially semicircular piston chamberprovided with bearings for said shaft, formed internally to cooperatewith said piston, and provided with means for attachment to a vehiclebody in position to maintain the shaft substantially vertical, amanually operable controlling valve, a plurality of air conduitsconnecting different portions of the piston chamber with difierentportions of the controlling valve, air-exhausting' means carried by thevehicle, and a suction conduit connecting said valve with saidair-exhausted with the suction conduit.

4. A signaling device comprising a dll'lglble direction-indicating lampcasing, a shaft supporting the same and arranged substantially at rightangles with the major arms of the lamp casing, a pneumatic motorincluding a piston chamber provided with bearings for said shaft andwith means for attachment to a vehicle body, inposition to maintain saidshaft substantially vertical, a manually operable controlling valve, aplurality of air conduits connecting different portions of the pistonchamberwith difierent portions of the controlling valve, air-exhaustingmeans carried by the vehicle, and a suction conduit connecting saidvalve with said air-exhausting means and in constant open communicationwith the valve and with the air-exhausting means, said controlling valvecomprisi a fixed member with which said aircondu1ts and suction conduitare engaged, a movable member and spring means maintaining the movablemember in sliding contact with the fixed member, said movable memberbeing provided with an operating handle, whereby it may be turned andwith connected channel portions adapte to selectively connect either ofthe air conduits with the suction conduit. 5. A signaling devicecomprising a dirigible direction-indicating lamp casing, a shaftsupporting, the same, and arranged substantially at right angles withthe major .,axis of the lamp casing, a motor including a wing piston onsaid shaft, a substantially semicircular piston chamber provided withbearings for said shaft, formed internally to cooperate with saidpiston, and provided with means for attachment to a vehicle bodyiILPOSltiOn to maintain the shaft substantially vertical, a manuallyoperable controlling valve, a plurality of air conduits con nectingdifferent portions of the piston chamber with different portions of thecontrolling valve, air-exhausting means car'- ried by the vehicle, and asuction conduit adapted to selectively. open different air conduits tothe atmosphere.

In testimony whereof we have aflixed our signatures.

ALOYSIUS L. MAHONY. PETER J. (LINSTROM.

